Chương 39: Chapter 39
Why is he here? I knew my ride to the stadium for the finals was arranged for me, but… why was he here? It will be a miracle if he makes it to the arena in one piece.
"My darling, I have come to escort you to the stadium,"
Sharorik Shiga, the third prince of Shiga Kingdom. This is going to be a painful trip. The prince is still as arrogant as the last time we met, and how he looks at me gives me the creeps. That bloodthirsty knight is here, too, shooting me a glare. If he wants me to apologise for breaking his sword, he will be waiting for a long time.
"Your Highness,"
I polity bow despite my desire to walk to the arena. At least Satou is here, so the attention isn't solely on me. But the prince is acting like he doesn't exist. Liza is here too as Satou's guard, while Pearl, Nana and Mia are waiting to travel with me. Initially, I wanted to leave Mia behind, but the king wanted to greet her. Once we arrived at the stadium Mia and Nana would go to meet the king while Pearl, the prince and me would be heading for the waiting rooms. The other girls we told to wait inside until the prince had left.
"Now please follow me," The prince takes my hand and tries to pull me close, but I keep as much distance as possible. "The others can go in the second carriage."
The other carriage. Unlike the one the prince is guiding me too isn't fancy, nor does it look like it would be a comfortable ride. It's almost like they picked the worse carriage available. I wouldn't be surprised if that thing falls apart before we even make it halfway to the arena. Karina made an intelligent decision when she left early to watch the match with her brother. I wish I had the foresight to make up some excuse to turn down the carriage ride.
I reluctantly climb into the carriage and wish the prince hadn't chosen to sit so close to me. It's nice and comfortable inside, but the prince is ruining it. Why does he have to sit so close when we are the only ones inside? If he tries to touch me again, my barrier spells will fend him off.
"Alone at last,"
Unfortunately, I almost said that out loud as I sighed, wondering what he had planned. It is only a ten-minute ride to the arena. I can put up with him until then. I'll just need to take a long bath once I return to the mansion.
"It seems you are always surrounded by people, and we never get a chance like this,"
"I'm a popular girl,"
"Popular," Before I could react, he pins me to the side of the carriage. I could escape if I wanted to, but I don't want to give him anything to use against me. "So popular that you never come to my room when I summon you at night. A plain-looking girl like you should be happy at the chance and drop everything to visit my room at night."
"I have no interest in offers like that,"
"Do you want to die?"
Hearing the darkening tone in the prince's voice, I break away from him and move to the other side of the carriage. He if moves towards me, I won't hesitate to put up a barrier. What is wrong with him? How can he threaten to kill someone for rejecting him with a smile?
"You may have gotten away with disobeying a summons from a royal so far, but if you don't come to my room tonight, I will see you executed for treason,"
Treason? Is he really so pitty he will have me arrested for refusing to join him in bed? Just when I thought I couldn't have hated him any more than I already do. Still, it isn't much of a threat since I am sure the king will protect me. Even if he doesn't, I am confident I can escape the kingdom with everyone.
"So you think death threats are the best way to win people over?"
"Shut up!" He suddenly snaps, punching the side of the carriage. "You don't get to tell me how to act! I am the next ruler of the kingdom! If people don't do what I tell them to do, they deserve to die! Now you better fall in line if you know what is best for you!"
We spend the rest of the ride in silence, with the prince's eyes never leaving me. If he thinks threats will be enough to make me come running to him, he is deeply mistaken. I couldn't leave the carriage faster if I tried when we finally arrived. There are more people than I expected here, but at least most of them are here for the prince, so I can sleep away with Mia, Nana and Pearl unnoticed.
Pearl and I part ways with Nana, and Mia as a maid, is waiting to guild them to the king, but I make sure Nana will keep an eye on Mia if the prince tries anything. At least no one bothers us. Pearl and I are treated well as we wait for the finals to begin. But Pearl is surprisingly nervous. Pacing back and forth, I don't think I have ever seen her act this way before.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine… but something feels off here…."
"I'm sure it's…."
But before I can say anything, the ground suddenly shakes. My danger sense skill isn't giving off any warnings, and the shaking wasn't that bad, but I still felt nervous. I quickly use the telephone spell to contact Satou, and it seems he is just as worried as we are and already looking into it. Unfortunately, he then reported that several members of the demon-worshipping cult, the Wings of Freedom, are still on the loose. He said he would handle it, so I hope Satou can handle everything.
"Don't worry. Everything is going to be okay," I assure Pearl. "I just spoke with Satou, and he assured me everything is taken care of."
"Understood, master…."
Pearl replies, but she is still nervously looking around the room. I hope Satou can deal with this situation. No, what am I saying? With someone as overpowered as Satou and armed with countless cheat skills, it is the cultist I should be worrying about. It should only be a matter of time before Satou has captured the last of their numbers.
"Excuse me," A young girl enters the room with a light nod. "It's time for the final match."
"Good luck," I smile as I follow Pearl to the arena's entrance. But when we arrived, I stopped in my tracks. "What is he doing out there?"
I feel sorry for the young girl. I didn't mean to scare her just now, but I couldn't keep the hostility out of my voice when I saw that bloodthirsty temple knight waiting in the arena.
"I'm sorry… I don't know the details… but the other participant dropped out at the last moment, and that temple knight took his place."
Why do I have the feeling the prince is behind this. I sight and look the knight over. He is weaker than the guy Pearl was meant to have faced by a few levels. The temple knight's armour has good defence against physical attacks, while he seems to have found another mithral sword to use. There is only one problem.
"Pearl, be careful. He has a blaze rode hidden up his left sleeve,"
"I will keep that in mind, master,"
I wish I could do more for her, but I can only offer advice and a rundown of the knight's skills. But when Pearl steps out into the arena, I am confident she will be victorious. But just in case, I cast the spells Enchant: Magic Protection and Enchant: Physical Protection on her. I don't know what that prince is trying to pull here, but if this is an attempt to get me into his bed, it won't work.
"Hero Kura,"
Turning around, I am in for another surprise. Sara lightly smiles as she approaches, and a temple knight waits further back. I didn't expect her to be here since the prince was. Still, I am not going to complain about seeing a friendly face.
"I'm surprised to see you here, Lady Sara,"
"Well, it's the Tenion Temple's turn to provide healing aid," Sara replies. "And please just call me Sara." She tells me before muttering. "You call Satou and Rin like that…."
I pretended not to hear that last part and listened to Sara tell me about her duty today. According to her, each temple is responsible for a single round. The arena had staff who could use healing magic, so Sara was only here in case someone was injured beyond the staff's capabilities to heal. Sara also assured me the prince won't know she is here since she will be staying in the female-only areas of the stadium, but something tells me that won't stop the prince.
"It seems Miss Pearl is as skilled as the last time I saw her,"
Looking at the match, it looks like Pearl has the upper hand. The bloodthirsty temple knight can't keep up with her speed, and that blaze rode is on the floor. If she keeps this up, the final match will end in less than a minute.
"Yes," I nod. "Pearl has been training hard ever since we first met."
The temple knight tries every dirty trick, but nothing works. Even when he throws sand in Pearl's eyes, she can still get the better of him with her eyes closed. It looks like I was worried about nothing. If Pearl keeps this up, she won't suffer a single scratch.
"Sara!" It wasn't long before someone else arrived. "So it's true you were here. What are you thinking? Prince Sharorik is here."
"It's fine. I made sure few people know I am here,"
"But if he finds out, nothing will stop him from grabbing you," Rin countered. She is probably right. Even if he has to run across the arena, the prince will come for her. "You should come with me and sit with our father and grandfather. With the king sitting next to us, the prince won't be able to try anything."
"But I…."
Sara looked at me for backup, but Rin was making a better argument. But before I can say a word, the match ends, and Pearl defeats that bloodthirsty temple knight. As I thought, she didn't have a single scratch on her. On the other hand, the knight isn't looking so good with a nasty-looking wound on his right shoulder.
If only the crowd was as happy as I was. Some cheer for Pearl but most of the crowd boo and complain that a beastfolk won. Still, at least Sara and Rin clapped as Pearl declared the winner. But it seems someone is more upset than anyone else. I can see the prince punch the wall and hear him demand that our match should begin right away. With little choice, the officials call me to the arena.
"Good luck in there," Rin pats me on the back. "Just remember you have to throw the fight."
Yes I know. The king made it clear that the holder of Claiomh Solais must be seen as an unbeatable opponent. As much as I want to crush him, I must hold myself back. I hope this victory doesn't go to his head, although I'm sure it will.
"I pray for your safety,"
Sara adds with a worried look. The prince probably couldn't harm me if he tried, but I appreciate her support. I pass Pearl on my way out and congratulate her on her victory before meeting the prince in the arena. Yeah, this coming victory is defiantly going to go to his head. Prince Sharorik is already acting more superior and arrogant than he usually does. I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible.
"Time to show you how pathetic you are,"
He tells me, drawing his sword. It was beautiful. I have never seen such a fine sword. The blue light radiating from the blade made it all the more mesmerising. My blade isn't as gentle, with the blue light burning like a blazing inferno.
"By winning a rigged fight?" I smirk, readying my own weapon. "Is that really something to be proud of?"
"I'm going to make you regret disrespecting me,"
"Let's just get this over with,"
"The exhibition match between the hero of the Shiga Kingdom, Lady Kura and the Bearer of the Holy Sword, Prince Sharorik, shall now commence."
The referee was dressed like a jester as he announced our names. The prince scowled, likely displeased with the order in which our names had been read. On the starting signal, I supplied the armour Satou made for me with magic power. I had already cast protection magic but didn't know what this jerk might try to pull. Better to be safe than sorry.
Sensing danger, I leapt aside. Fireballs blazed through the spot where I'd been standing, flames exploding over my back. So he has a blaze rod too. It didn't feel that hot, nor was the blast that powerful.
"Brings back memories, doesn't it, Rin? You made it yourself at the academy,"
The prince glances at Rin before charging me. His holy sword left blue traces in the air as it sliced toward me. But he is so slow. I blocked the prince's holy sword with my own. He's so weak it takes little to no effort to stop his momentum.
The prince looks alarmed by this but doesn't stop. He tries to punch me, but I dodge his strike and slash at his leg. A barrier generated by the prince's white armour tried to stop me, only to shatter. The prince's armour was a legendary item made in the era of the ancestral king Yamato. The king told me all about it. It still didn't do the prince any good. Damn. If I didn't stop now, I would win the match. I shatter the shin guard over his left shin but stop short of cutting him.
I back away, giving the prince a chance to recover. But of course, the prince couldn't miss an opening like that. Claidheamh Soluis hit me square in the side. Reflectively I put up a barrier to protect myself, and surprisingly the prince managed to crack it.
Multiple fireballs flew at me in rapid succession. Stopping my attack must have hurt the prince's bloated pride. The rage in his eyes was alarming. Still, his anger made him sloppy, as it was almost too easy to destroy all those fireballs with my ice storm spell.
But our battle ended there. It was interrupted by the howls of strange figures that burst from the floor beneath the audience seats. A summoning circle was created in the sky, causing my danger sense skill to go wild. Was Satou too late? I was about to use break magic on the circle, but an idiot stopped me.
"Giving up on the sword and resorting to magic, are we, little hero?!"
The prince came charging at me with his Holy Sword. He hadn't noticed the summoning circle above us. How is he clues as to what is going on? Can't he hear the screams from the crowd or see the monsters starting to appear? I dodge his attack. I should have finished him off with my sword before. Now he had prevented me from stopping the summoning.
Clawed yellow feet descended from the summoning circle, followed by the rest of the enormous body. It was a demon, a greater hell demon. And this one feels more powerful than the ones I have faced before. Once he'd emerged entirely, the demon dropped to the ground. He was more than three times larger than any human. The tremors when he landed were almost enough to knock me off my feet.
"Demon! No… demon lord! Prepare to meet your doom!!"
The prince shouted at the yellow demon without a single ounce of fear. He charges the demon and gives me the first good impression of him. The prince managed to land a hit, but the demon didn't look like he even felt it. The yellow demon tilted his two heads and looked down at the prince's sword.
"THAT SWORD IS CLAIDHEAMH SOLUIS, IS IT NOT? THEN YOU MUST BE A DESCENDANT OF YAMATO,"
Underneath his harsh voice, I could hear something like a howl. His other head was chanting while he spoke. I tried to fire off magic to stop him, but I could only use weak magic that he could deflect with the back of his hand. If the prince had listened to me and backed away, I could have used more powerful magic.
The yellow demon's chant finished, and a summoning circle appeared on the ground to produce giant monsters. There were scorpions, mantises, and two-horned beetles. All were powerful enemies with levels in the thirties.
A large explosion hit the demon, knocking the prince back. When the loud boom faded and the dust settled, the demon was, by all appearances, unscathed. Clearly, it hadn't done much damage. The demon must have high magic resistance. Rin and Pearl quickly rush towards us with, surprisingly, Sara and her temple knight guard.
"HMPH, THAT STUNG A LITTLE,"
Monsters were still overflowing from the summoning circle and surging toward the spectators, the prince and myself. It's too much. I won't be able to keep everyone safe. Still, not all hope was lost. There were warriors from the tournament among the crowd. Mia and Nana were with them, and I had Pearl and Rin backing me up. Sara could probably help anyone injured while her bodyguard kept herself.
"Brave warriors! You must protect your neighbours! Now is the time to prove your worth in battle!"
Hearing Rin, most warriors started fighting to protect the other citizens. She must have the amplification skill for her voice to be heard so clearly. However, some were too overwhelmed by the chaos to think straight. A few mages started releasing attack spells despite all the people nearby.
"Magic users, focus on strengthening the warriors, not on attack magic. Work together to defeat the monsters!"
These men and women were strong. As long as they kept their wits about them, they should have no problem with monsters like these. Rin swung my lightning sword to dispatch a charging tentacled centipede monster. A lance beetle tried to attack her while she was distracted, but it flew right through the illusion created by Rin's magic armour. What a useful trick. I hope Satou can replicate it one day.
"Ah-ha-ha! Having trouble there, little lady?"
"Don't get distracted, boy. We must go help His Highness,"
The bloodthirsty knight and Sir Reilus of the Eight Swordsmen passed by on their way to assist the prince. It looks like he is healed after Pearl nearly took his arm off.
The yellow demon cast buff spells on the summoned monsters as their numbers dropped. We take our first casualty not long after that. A centipede devoured one of the warriors holding off the monsters. Pearl and Nana quickly filled the gap in the line while Mia covered them from the stands, but we were starting to lose ground.
"HOW STRANGE IT IS. I THOUGHT THE BLUE ONE OR THE RED ONE WOULD SHOW UP RIGHT AWAY IF I MADE A FUSS,"
Blue One? Red One? Could he mean those two? Does he not know about what happened?
"O, Great Parion! Please, use my wishes and my life to enact a Hero Summoning!" I turn, hearing Rin and see her praying as Sara tries to stop her. "I am a follower! I am Ringrande, follower of Hayato the Hero!"
In response to Rin's wish, the talisman on her chest blazed brightly.
"Master! Lookout!"
I barely had enough time to turn after Pearl's warning. It appeared out of nowhere. Not even my danger sense skill warned me. A black body with thin metal limbs and one dark red eye plunges a knife towards my chest. I didn't have enough time to block it. I tried to stop the attack with a barrier, but the knife cut right through it.
"Master!"
"Hero Kura!"
"Kura!"
I can hear their voices. Pearl's, Nana's and Mia's as the knife slices through my armour without any trouble and dives straight into my heart. It glows red as a fire starts to burn within the wound, but I quickly kick the monster back and pull the knife out. That was close. My HP nearly dropped to zero, and if I wasn't overpowered, the knife would have killed me.
What a nasty weapon. Enchanted to cut through anything and to unleash an inferno while being cursed to inflect a deadly poison. No average person would have been able to survive a single scratch from such a weapon. Just the type of weapon I would expect from my opponent. A level sixty monster called a Shadow Killer. Perfect Stealth, Undodgable Attack and Quick Escape. It has some troublesome skills to boot.
"I'm fine," I assure everyone as my wound heals. "Pearl, focus on the demon. Nana, Mia, aid the people fighting the monsters."
The Shadow Kill gets to its feet as the others acknowledge my orders. I take care of him quickly and go back them up.
<0>
A Few Hours Earlier
"Is everything ready?"
"Yes, your highness,"
In the duke's castle's guest room, two men meet secretly as the guards keep everyone away. The sun is just starting to peak over the horizon, but neither man slept a wink last night.
"The cultists have successfully infiltrated the city with our aid, and our assassin is already laying in wait,"
"And no one will know of our involvement,"
"No one, your highness. I have silenced the smugglers we used myself, and no one should question why our assassin is there once the chaos begins,"
"Good," One of the men cracks a smile. "By the end of the day, it will become clear that our kingdom is the only one capable of producing heroes."
"But what if Lady Ringrande doesn't summon him,"
"Trust me. She will,"
<0>
This guy is faster than I thought. He's agile too. Running around and dodging everything I throw at him with ease. I try to hit him with multiple strikes at once, but he twists his body unnaturally to evade every attack. And when he can't dodge, he blocks my attacks with daggers identical to the one I stole. This monster is pretty skilled.
It tries to stab me, but I twirl out of the way and aim a slash at the monster's back, only for my holy sword to clash with the Shadow Killers knife. I hate how it can bend its arms like that. Let's see if it can handle this. I shoot ten remote arrows at him, followed by a blast of icicles from my ice storm spell, and finally, I attack with my holy sword. It dodges all my remote arrows, but they are locked on and turn around mid-air. Most of my ice storm shots miss, but a few graze him. Finally, he blocks my sword, but I win as long as I can keep him pinned in place.
All ten of my remote arrows stab into the Shadow Killers back, and the pain causes him to release my holy sword. I don't let this opportunity go to waste and slash him. He tried to dodge, but I still got him across the chest. Tough little monster. Even this wasn't enough to kill him. But at least it slowed him down.
I must have hit something vital because the Shadow Killer's movements slow down to the point where most of my attacks hit. But still, even when I cut one of the monster's arms off, even after I cut so deep into its head that I nearly took it off. This guy just won't die. I'm going to have to melt it again like I did with the demon lord, aren't I? There's no point complaining about it.
But before I go that far, I try to cause a large amount of damage. I keep up my attack until I have the Shadow Killer cornered. Glancing around, I don't see anyone nearby, so I make my move. Explosion is an explosive magic spell I haven't tried yet. I scored a direct hit on the monster and put up a barrier to protect everyone when I saw how powerful it was. Looks like it worked. All that was left was the monster's core, which I quickly put into storage before heading back to deal with that demon.
"Look upon me!"
But someone else fell from the sky before I could enter the battle. A man wearing blue armour helmet, his face in profile struck me as stalwart and masculine, his black hair cut short like an athlete's. His holy sword is bathed in a bright blue glow as he slices an armadillo-type monster clean in two. Up above him, a flying airship begins to bombard the monsters.
Several beautiful women stepped out onto the deck of the ship. A beautiful woman dressed like a Shinto priest, with big breasts and a gentle air about her, cast strengthening magic on the party. A long-eared female warrior, evidently from the long-eared Booch clan, fired an arrow that turned into ten arrows at the monsters coming toward the hero. I wonder if I can get a bow like that for Mia. The ship flies lower for the women to disembark, leaving them open to attack.
The monsters that escaped her shots jumped and landed on the ship. An agile fighter and a dual-wielding swordswoman took them down instantly. They were beastfolk, like Tama and Pochi. The tigerfolk woman with curly hair and the wolffolk woman with a short bob both had lovely features, and their armour suggested they had the proportions to match.
The last member to emerge was a woman with a short staff, luxurious blond ringlets, and an enormous bust. They weren't quite as large as Miss Karina's, but they could probably give her sister Miss Soluna a run for her money. I swear I am the only woman in this world lacking in that department.
"HAYATO THE HERO, IS IT? HAVE YOU COME PREPARED TO DIE THIS TIME, THEN?"
"I'm not the same man I used to be! Today I swear to enact my revenge!"
I decide to let him take the lead with the demon since he has some history with it. Hayato probably knows this demon's strengths and weaknesses anyway.
"Stay out of this, you Saga Empire dog! I shall prove that your empire is not the only one that can produce a hero,"
Is he forgetting about me? I know I am not originally from this world, but everyone here thinks I am a citizen of the Shiga Kingdom.
"Your Holy Sword weeps, prince. This is one of the generals of a powerful demon lord of old—the Golden Boar Lord. He's a demon of the highest calibre who's survived for hundreds of years. If you wish to live, you had best retreat,"
So that's why he felt so powerful. Maybe I should take him out quickly if he really is a top-tier demon. No. Hayato is level sixty-nine. He should have no problems dealing with this demon.
"<Sing>, Arondight!"
The blue glow of Hayato's sword intensifies after he says that phase. He activates some kind of magic on his shoes and leaps toward the yellow demon. It's almost like he is flying. Yellow light extending from the demon's claws blocked Hayato's sword with little effort. Even if he managed to damage him a little, the three floating spheres around him would heal him immediately.
"Hayato, don't try to fight all alone! We're a team, you know,"
Just as he is thrown back, Hayato's companions join the battle. It looks like Satou is here too. I can't see him, but I know he is the one keeping the monsters away from the demon and using the spell magic hand to evacuate people. He probably is also responsible for the wings being shot off all of the flying monster's backs. But Hayato and his party are still having trouble.
"Rin! Give Rusus and Fifi some backup!"
"Understood!"
Rusus and Fifi, the two beastfolk women, appeared to have trouble with a centipede demon. Rin wasted no time starting to cast Explosion Magic.
"Wee, hold off the two-horned beetles for now. I'll send Rusus and Fifi to help you as soon as they can,"
"All right, Hayato. Leave it to me,"
"Meri, I'll buy you some time! Give him the biggest shot you've got!"
"Of course! Don't do anything too risky, Hayato!"
"IS YOUR LITTLE STRATEGY MEETING ALMOST OVER?" This demon is just as arrogant as the prince. "HUMAN MAGIC IS SO VERY SLOW."
The yellow demon scoffed as his other head howled. White flames began to rain down all over the arena. Hayato manages to block the ones aimed at him, but that doesn't do anyone else any good.
"HOW IMPRESSIVE. YOU MUST HAVE GROWN MUCH STRONGER TO BLOCK MY WHITE INFERNO. HEROES ARE EVER SO INTERESTING,"
As the demon praises Hayato, I create multiple barriers and block the remaining attacks. A few of my barriers cracked, but they did their job and kept everyone safe.
"Ringrande, Loleiya, let's begin the chant,"
One of Hayato's group calls out, and Rin joins two others in a group chant, but it feels dangerous. I doubt I am the target, but whatever those three are doing causes my danger sense skill to warn me.
"HOW STRANGE INDEED. WHY DO RED AND BLUE NOT APPEAR?"
He really must mean those two. I wonder if he is also waiting for the demon lord to appear.
"OH WELL. HERO, YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS TICKLE ME DELIGHTFULLY WITH YOUR ATTACKS, BUT I SHOULD LIKE TO TASTE YOUR FEAR AND DESPAIR SOON,"
"Hmph, you masochistic freak! Me, afraid of you? I'd like to see you try!"
"VERY WELL, THEN. I HOPE YOU ENJOY MY LITTLE GIFT,"
I have a bad feeling about this. A huge summoning circle appeared behind the yellow-skinned demon. This time I won't let anything stop me from preventing the summons. I quickly use my break magic spell to destroy the summoning circle, and as a bonus, I take out that self-healing magic the demon used.
"Shining Blade!"
Why is he calling out his attack? Isn't it better to not give that information away? But he did look cool. Hayato swung his holy sword at blinding speed. Maybe I shouldn't have done anything, as my spell destroyed the summoning circle just moments before he hit it.
"SO I FOOLED YOU ALL,"
"Are you for real?"
There was a second circle up in the sky. Floating in the sky was the enormous monster fish, Tovkezerra. It was bigger than the airships I'd seen. It has got to be over eight hundred feet long. Satou says they are very dangerous monsters that even dragons are wary of.
"Th… the giant monster fish?!"
"No way! You mean that's the thing the Golden Boar Lord used?"
"The legendary floating fortress…."
The three members of Hayato's party who weren't chanting exclaimed in surprise. The giant monster fish. Despite its stupid name, the monster was level ninety-seven.
"We won't back down, no matter what we're fighting!" Hayato struck an exaggerated pose and shouted instructions to his frightened comrades. "Wee, Rusus, Fifi! Summon the Jules Verne! I'm giving permission to use the main battery. Take the Jules Verne's master key with you."
"YES, YES. THAT IS THE FEAR I WANT TO SEE,"
I have a feeling the main battery of their ship will cause too much damage to the city, so I will take care of those monster fish.
"HMM. A DASH OF HOPE MIXED WITH THE FEAR RATHER RUINS IT,"
"As long as I'm the hero, there will always be hope,"
"HOW ABSURD,"
He definitely plays the role of hero better than I do. But in the time I spent looking at the hero, the shadows over the arena began to block out the sun. The summoning circle, the giant monster fish had emerged from was still floating in the sky. I should have realised what that meant. The summoning circle wasn't finished. More enormous fish appeared one after another. Including the first one, there were a total of seven.
I can't let them continue to multiply like that, so I use warp right in front of them and unleash my laser spell cutting the lead monster fish in two. It was a little weak by itself, so I had to use that dangerous skill magic overload to get the desired effect. I'm glad I got the hang of that skill, but I still need to drink a potion before I continue.
As the first one dies, I use break magic to take care of the summoning circle before moving on to the next monster. The other monster fish are looking right at me and closing in for the attack making my job that much easier. Slowly, one by one, I take down every monster in the sky. The annoying part came afterwards.
Satou must be the one collecting the falling pieces of meat and liquid because they keep suddenly disappearing. But that leaves hundreds of parasitic-like creatures now falling to the ground. Hitting them all was impossible, but I managed to get most of them. They landed near the prince. He could probably take care of those.
Once I finished that, I noticed that the once-chaotic battlefield had gone silent. The demon, Hayato, his companions and my friends are all staring at me. I might have gotten a little carried away with that little light show back there. I became the centre of attention as well as reaching level eighty.
<Title Acquired: Giant Monster Fish Slayer.>
<Title Acquired: Light Master.>
Well, I guess there is no point in holding back now. I can still help Hayato get his revenge. I free-fall- toward the ground, using Remote Arrow to destroy the last few monsters and the demon's healing floating balls. The extra arrows steered toward the yellow demon, but he intercepted them with Blaze Magic.
"Are you Kura?!"
"AND WHO MIGHT YOU BE?!"
The hero and the yellow demon both shouted in unison. They were keeping their distance from each other, but both were acting wary of me as well. I softly touched down next to Hayato.
"Yes. I'm Kura," I softly smile. "Nice to meet you, Hayato."
Satou. Before Hayato could reply, he stopped Rin and her friend's magic spell. With the composition of the spell broken, the magic power they'd built up began to overflow in all directions. Satou may have protected us with a defensive barrier, but the forced interruption of the spell created some recoil, which left the young women crouching on the ground.
"What are you doing?!"
The hero pointed his sword at me, and I noticed the demon smile out of the corner of my eye. Good going, Satou. You may have made me an enemy of Hayato, and we only just met. But I did nothing wrong. I calmly put my hands up.
"I had nothing to do with that, but I have a good idea as to who might be behind it," I tell him as I block the demon's sneak attack with my barrier. "But now isn't the time to discuss this."
"Agreed," Hayato nods as we turn to face the yellow-skinned demon. "But I want you to answer me once we are done here."
"WELL, THIS IS MOST AMUSING. SQUABBLING AMONG YOURSELVES, ARE YOU?" The yellow demon sneered and began making new floating healing balls. "YOU MUST HAVE USED SOME WITCHCRAFT TO SEND THE GIANT MONSTER FISH BACK THROUGH THE GATE, CORRECT? WHAT A WISE LITTLE EGG WE HAVE HERE."
This demon is really annoying. There is just something about him that gets under my skin. I quickly destroy those floating healing balls, but Hayato's ship fires before I can follow up. I assume it was an accident that the shot came right at me. I could have blocked it, but it seemed like a waste, so I redirected the shot, hitting the demon.
"YOU CAN BEND THE LIGHT OF THE LIGHT BOAT? I THOUGHT YOU WERE AN EGG, BUT PERHAPS YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN HATCHED,"
The demon was hurt but still standing. I watch his wounds slowly heal as Hayato yells at the people on the ship.
"What worthless heroes you two are! Dance, Claidheamh Soluis!"
As if the silver ship wasn't enough, now the prince seemed to think it was a good idea to attack me too. His holy sword flew into the air and shot toward me. Maybe the rain of whale blood on him had offended him. I leaned my head to one side to avoid the Holy Sword, then grabbed its hilt as it flew past. It thrashed about in my hand at first. But that stopped as soon as I had sucked all the magic out of it.
The prince looks like he isn't having a good day. His armour was half-broken, and his exposed skin was covered in bite marks. I was surprised he hadn't died of blood loss. Those must be marks from the parasites that had landed near him earlier. I'd assumed the prince and his Holy Sword could handle them quickly enough, but judging by his current disastrous state, it must have been more of a struggle than I thought. Beyond him, the bloodthirsty knight was cackling madly as he hacked away at monster corpses with his sword.
While I was distracted by the prince, the yellow demon set about making a summoning circle at his feet to make his escape. Too bad Satou was one step ahead of him. I still haven't seen him, but he is the only person I can think of when I saw the effects of break magic hit the demon's circle. But that probably isn't enough, so I use warp to get close to the demon before draining away his mana. Sadly, it wasn't possible to take all of it at once. The max was apparently three hundred MP at a time.
"GRRGH! HOW DARE A MERE CHICK LIKE YOU STEAL AWAY MY MAGIC POWER SO EASILY?!"
The yellow demon tried to retreat out of range of my mana drain, but I chased him around with warp, never giving him a chance to recover. He should've had around seven hundred and ten MP at level seventy-one, but I have drained close to a thousand points from him. Since I stole more MP than I could hold, I used the excess to charge Claidheamh Soluis, which I still hold along with Gjallarhorn.
As I poured magic power into it, both blades grew until they were too big for an ordinary person to hold with one hand. If Arisa were here, she would probably start making some inappropriate jokes. The Holy Swords stopped growing when I'd put about five hundred MP into them. Still, both Claidheamh Soluis and Gjallarhorn were now nearly ten feet long.
"GRRR. SO YOU ARE DESCENDED FROM VAMPIRES, ARE YOU, YOUNG CHICK?"
If he is insulting me, he is doing a lousy job. Vampires are cool, after all. But being a vampire doesn't solve the fact I am at the limit of the amount of MP I can store. Because I couldn't steal any more magic, I destroyed his defensive barriers with Break Magic and struck him instead. Once the yellow demon's barriers were mostly gone and his HP was down to about 10 percent, I landed on more hits sending the demon crashing to the ground in front of Hayato and his party.
The hero didn't hesitate to lop the yellow demon in half with his Holy Sword Arondight. The two halves promptly turned into black dust and vanished. I guess without a barrier to protect him, a demon could easily be defeated by a Holy Sword. I wonder if Satou could create a spell that could quickly destroy that barrier. Unfortunately, he wasn't happy. As the yellow demon was destroyed, he shouted, "I demand a redo!" as the demon vanished. Still holding the Holy Sword Arondight, the hero strode up to me.
"What are you playing at?"
I really have made an enemy of Hayato, the hero.
"You seemed to have a history with the demon, so I figured you would want to have the finishing blow,"
"Hmph. Don't expect me to thank you,"
"You don't have to," I think he is more mad that I stole his moment more than anything. "Now, if you will excuse me, that idiot prince is about to die over there, so I will help him out."
Roundworm-like monsters were tormenting the bloodied royal. I didn't feel any particular obligation to assist him. The prince is getting what he deserves if you ask me. But he is still royalty. I will probably get into trouble if I just sit by and do nothing.
Although these monsters had been level twenty and under when they first fell to earth, some were now as high as level fifty. They must have used the life drain skill to steal the prince's and other creatures' levels and life force. That would explain why the prince's hair had turned white. He was more wrinkled than before, too. His level had dropped from the upper forties to the lower twenties. The bloodthirsty knight was in a similar state, though not as severe as the prince. His level was still barely in the thirties, and though his hair was white, his face hadn't aged yet.
If the prince hadn't thrown Claidheamh Soluis at me, he probably would've been in a much better condition. Well, I guess I should help him before those parasites kill him. Remote Arrow probably would've been the fastest, but since I had this Holy Sword and I wanted to try it out.
"Dance, Claidheamh Soluis!"
The Holy Sword shot out of my hands and multiplied like a scattering stack of papers. Why didn't it separate like this for the prince? As I watched in surprise, Claidheamh Soluis split into thirteen thin blades, all shining with blue light. Aiming and firing Claidheamh Soluis is similar to when I used remote arrow. I wasted no time firing the blades toward parasites. The blades sliced through the monsters one after another, wiping them all out in the blink of an eye.
I should heal some of the prince's wounds before he dies. I preferred not to explain to the king why I stood by while his son died. Though I doubt the prince would be missed. I used water magic to heal the prince lying on the ground. The white hair and other ageing effects weren't reversed, but I had no intention of showing that much kindness anyway. Not to someone like the prince.
Their clothes and armour were in tatters, so I threw a few cloaks over them that I'd taken from some thieves a while back. Not long after, a group of birdfolk scouts flew into the arena. The duke's soldiers must be arriving, so I should wrap things up here and check on my friends.
"Tch, so now they show up, huh?" Hayato moaned as he approached me. "So now that everything is taken care of, tell me who cast that spell on my companions."
"It was an annoying magic user called Nanashi," I tell him. "They are probably long gone by now, though."
"So Nanashi isn't with you?"
"Nope, they just show up from time to time whenever there is trouble,"
"I get that. Hey, you probably know this already, but I'm Hayato Masaki, the Hero. Just to be clear, Masaki is, in fact, my last name. You must be Japanese, too, right?"
The hero finally seems to relax. It looks like we won't be enemies after all, but I still need to keep up my lie.
"No," I shake my head. "I wouldn't be surprised if I have some blood from Nippon in me, but I never met my parents, so I can't say for sure."
"Yeah, Rin mentioned as much, but I had hoped you were lying," Hayato shrugs. "Sorry, my friends tried to fire at you, by the way. And…thanks for helping us defeat the demon."
"I accept your apology and your thanks,"
"Hang on! Why don't you join me? I want you with me next time we fight a demon lord,"
"I'm sorry, but I have too much going on to join you right now, but I will be willing to come to your aid if you need it,"
The sound of heavy boots filled the stadium, and the army's vanguard appeared in the audience seats. After a few more words, Hayato handed me a magical amulet allowing us to contact each other no matter where we were. After that, we went back to our respective groups. Pearl and Nana received some minor wounds but nothing serious. It looks like Sara is still here, too, going around healing the wounded. But we don't have much of a break before the army leader starts to ask questions.
<0>
"Make sure everything linking us to today is gone,"
Back in the duke's castle, while everyone else was celebrating, two people were upset about how things ended today. Despite the celebration held by the duke, they take their time getting ready as they scramble to recover.
"This is a disaster. The hero of the Shiga Kingdom was meant to have died, and Hayato trumped where she failed," Shaking his head, one of the men sits down on his bed. "Instead, her reputation has skyrocketed. Not only did she defeat seven Tovkezerra, but she also let Hayato slay the demon. Now I have to go down and congratulate her. How did our assassin fail?"
"I don't know, your highness. She was stabbed through the heart, poisoned and burnt, but she brushed off that wound like it was nothing. I believe the girl has some unique skills we don't know about. Shall I have people look into her,"
"Yes, but focus on the demon lord," His Highness replies as he stands. "We can't make another move against her at the moment, so make sure Hayato beats her to the next demon lord."
"Yes, your highness,"
"Now, what is the status of the second hero summoning?"
"It is proceeding as planned, your highness. The court has approved, and now we are gathering the required materials and personnel. If everything goes as smoothly as the last summoning, we should have some new heroes within three moons,"
"Good," His Highness sighs. "We must ensure that the world doesn't forget that the Saga Empire is the only producer of capable heroes."
<0>
This is much better than last night's feast at the duke's castle.
"Hooray! We're having a real Japanese-style lunch today!"
Dressed in a yukata, Arisa got incredibly excited when she saw the lineup on the dining table. For today's meal, Satou and Lulu made us rice with bamboo shoots, miso soup, chikuzen stew, kobumaki, simmered soybeans, edamame, fried tofu, cold tofu, meat simmered with soy sauce, and a pile of fried meat for the carnivorous beastfolk girls.
"Japeese?"
"Japanesey, sir!"
Tama and Pochi didn't know what "Japanese" meant, but they were still hopping up and down with joy when they saw the pile of fried meat. Karina and the other girls looked eager when they saw all the food.
It's been a while since I wore a Yukata. When Arisa heard we were having a Japanese-style lunch, she insisted everyone wear one. Arisa had dressed Nana and Karina with extra care, ensuring that not a single hint of the girl's chests was visible. It was the right call on Arisa's part. I saw the minor signs of disappointment on Satou's face when he saw how well the girl's assets were sealed away.
"What could this scent be? It is different from ordinary fried chicken,"
Liza narrowed her eyes at the mountain of meat, and Tama and Pochi were beside her, excitedly sniffing the air. In front of Mia's seat, Satou placed a new kind of fried food.
"Vegetable katsu?"
"That's right. I used veggies like asparagus and lotus root, just for you,"
"Satou!"
Mia hugged his waist with a rare smile. It's good that Satou finally gave Mia a fired dish to try. She'd never been able to hide her envy when the other kids ate fried chicken.
"Hero Kura! Yellow stars are floating in the miso soup, I report!"
Nana had her face close to the miso soup as she waved me over frantically. Satou had put in the extra effort to cut steamed sweet potatoes into star shapes for the soup. However, all the extra effort Satou put in was worth it to make everyone happy.
"Wow, I've never had such a feast!"
"Erina, remember, we're here as Lady Karina's guests. Be sure to show some restraint,"
"Right, right,"
We invited Karina's maids, Pina and Erina, to join us for lunch today. Now we were just waiting for everyone to take their seats so we could get started, but Arisa was too hyperactive to sit down.
"Oh man, simmered soybeans! Ooh, and edamame, too! Oh my gosh, if there's ginger and green onions to top that cold tofu, I might just lose my mind!"
"Oh, Arisa, that's enough celebrating for now. Can't you sit down? We're all waiting for you so we can start,"
"Whatever you say, my dear sister."
Still hyper, Arisa made a gesture of surrender to Lulu and sat down. Then she led the group in a chorus of "thanks for the food," and the meal could finally begin.
"Nyummy!"
"This is the ultimate deliciousness, sir!"
"Amazing… Each bite is overflowing with savoury flavour,"
Tama and Pochi filled her cheeks with the fried meat while Liza appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"Master, this meat is incredible. I feel as if every bite is filling me with power,"
"Oh, Liza, you always exaggerate. Just pass me some of that fried stuff, please!"
Chuckling at Liza, Arisa opened her mouth and popped in some fried meat.
"Ooh, wait, this is gooood. I've never had anything, so… Huh? Wait, it's kinda familiar…." Arisa furrowed her brow seriously as she chewed. "Mm? What kind of meat is this? It's not chicken, and it's not pork. I've eaten it before, but I can't quite remember…." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Wait a minute. Whale?"
Arisa jumped to her feet and sat down next to Satou. It does taste very similar to whale meat, but I don't think we had the chance to hunt any… wait is this the meat from the Tovkezerra?
"Master. Didn't you say you fought some kind of greater hell demons today?" Arisa whispered into Satou's ear.
"Yes. Giant monster fish,"
"S… so by giant monster fish, you mean…those, uh, flying whales that were in the pictures of Ancestral King Yamato?"
Satou nodded. I wonder if King Yamato enjoyed the whale meat, too, after he defeated them.
"Giant monster fish… The floating fortress…." Arisa sat still, deep in thought. Did it bother her that the meat was from giant monster fish? "Well, it's delicious, so no harm done!"
After chewing her lip for a moment, she hopped up and declared her ruling.
"Innocent?"
"Not guilty, sir!"
Tama and Pochi pulled out fans from their yukata and danced next to Arisa. Arisa must have been teaching them some weird jokes. She probably made them those fans too.
"Arisa! Don't put your feet up on the table!"
"Yes, ma'am! Sorry, ma'am!"
Arisa, who'd excitedly posed with one foot on the table, quickly bowed apologetically to Lulu. Liza scolded Tama and Pochi as well.
Though her comment was forgotten after Arisa's dramatic reactions, we realised later that Liza's intuition had been correct. With the help of Arisa, who could monitor her own skills, we later discovered that eating the fried whale meat temporarily increased some stats, like strength and stamina, by about ten percent. At any rate, the fried whale was very popular with the whole group.
"With every bite…."
"The meat is practically still moving, sir,"
"Sir, was this meat perhaps very valuable?"
Liza looked anxious. While buying was impossible, she shouldn't worry about that.
"Do you like it? There's plenty more where that came from, so don't worry about it,"
"Yes, sir,"
Some of the other girls. Karina and the beastfolk duo were wolfing down the fried whale at a remarkable rate. Karina and her maids were too absorbed in chewing to speak.
"Tama, Pochi, I am taking command of this fried meat. Those two pieces on each of your forks will have to be your last. Ah, Lady Karina, please try to savour the taste more before you swallow it so quickly… Pearl, help me stop them!"
"Yes!"
Liza shouldn't worry so much about it. The rapid disappearance of the mountain of food is nothing to worry about. A maid stood by the wall behind Satou and watched with a warm smile, waiting to bring in more meat if we ran out. The other dishes were well received, too.
"Bamboo shoots,"
"Yes, they're tasty, aren't they?"
"Mm. Yummy,"
"Mia, the chikuzen stew is delicious as well, I report,"
"Gimme,"
The other girls were enjoying the food at their own pace.
"Mia, there isn't any fish in the kobumaki with the red wrapping,"
"Satou!"
Mia smiled happily as she reached out with her chopsticks.
"The fried stuff is great, but so is the stew! And the fish in this kobumaki is amazing! Oh, cold tofu, it's been so long! With the ginger and soy sauce on top, it's almost too powerful…."
Arisa should calm down too. She's eating the food just as quickly as Pochi and Tama. Luckily, Lulu is on hand to slow her down before she starts choking.
<0>
Later that day, after an equally delicious dinner, we had an unexpected visitor. When the maid announced their arrival, I thought someone was coming to meet me or employ Satou as a chief. Those requests have happened more frequently since the meal he cooked at the duke's castle. Instead, we were greeted by royalty.
A young girl with pink hair and turquoise eyes. I have seen her before. She must have been a fan of Hayato's because she kept trying to get a look at him last night in the duke's castle. It must have been so frustrating for her. She was too small to look over the shoulders of the people surrounding Hayato.
"Black hair… Japanese…."
Staring at Satou's face, her eyes sparkled. With the dreamy sigh of a maiden in love, she gave a very unexpected greeting.
"So we meet, at last, my hero,"
That was how I met Princess Menea of the tiny kingdom of Lumork.
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